The invention relates to a surfboard quick fin release. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for allowing a surfboard fin to be quickly and easily attached and detached.
Conventional surfboards typically include a fin adjacent to the tail thereof, extending along the centerline of the board, to provide dimensional stability and to maximize board performance. Two of the most common techniques for attaching the fin to the surfboard involve either attaching the fin to the board by means of fiber-reinforced resin around the base of the fin, or by the use of a so-called "fin box". Each of these approaches has significant disadvantages.
Glassing the fins to the board involves considerable labor costs and makes subsequent sanding and finishing of the board difficult. A further disadvantage of this fixing method is that the fiberglass fillet region at the base of the fin interferes with the hydrodynamics of the fins. This is believed to arise firstly from a reduction in the effective height of the fin, and from the outward flow of water caused by the fixing region, which in turn leads to turbulence and cavitation. As a result, the drive and bite afforded by the fins during turns is reduced, and the performance and speed of the board is limited.
A further disadvantage of the attachment of fins by "glassing-on" is that the fins must be present and fixed to the board during all final finishing stages of the board's manufacture, increasing labor costs and restricting the quality of the final finish of the board.
When installing a fin by using a standard fin box, a rectangular cavity is formed in the board by the use of a router, and the fin box is inserted into this cavity. The fin box comprises a slot for the reception of the base of the fin, with a wider portion forming a lower slot at its base into which may be slid a pin, mounted horizontally through the front of the fin, to fix the front of the fin in the box. The rear of the fin is fixed by means of a vertical screw through a rearwardly extending portion of the base of the fin, this screw being driven into a drilled and tapped plate located in the rear end of the lower slot.
The use of standard fin boxes involves many disadvantages, including costly and labor-intensive fitting, and an increase in the weight of the board. These disadvantages of the fin box system, and others are well known, and have lead to the general demise of this system.
The fin box does offer a theoretical advantage over the glassing-on of fins, in the removability of the fins if they need replacement, for either repair or during travel. In practice however, removal and replacement is difficult, and thus this potential advantage is not realized.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.